Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Steven LeBlanc (/ləˈblɒŋk/; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends and in its spin-off series Joey. For his work on Friends, Le Blanc received three nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes (2011–2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received four additional Emmy Award nominations. He co-hosted Top Gear from 2016 to 2019. From 2016 to 2020, he played patriarch Adam Burns in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan.
Matt Le Blanc | |
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 Le Blanc in 2011 | |
| Born | Matthew Steven Le Blanc July 25, 1967 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) | Melissa McKnight
(m. 2003; div. 2006) |
| Partner(s) |
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| Children | 1 |
Early life
Le Blanc was born in Newton, Massachusetts. His mother, Patricia (née Di Cillo), was an office manager; his father, Paul LeBlanc, was a mechanic.[1][2] His father is of French-Canadian descent and his mother is of Italian ancestry.[3] He attended Newton North High School, where he graduated in the same year as future comedian Louis C.K..[4] He moved to New York at the age of 17 to pursue a career in modeling. He was told he was too short to be in the industry. On one occasion, he had to visit his friend and on the way to his apartment he stumbled across a “cute girl” he quoted, she then told him she was on her way to an acting class and asked him if he would like to come along, and thinking nothing of it, he agreed to go to the acting class. After his first class he realized that this was something he would like to do. He did many commercials and small tv shows and movies before finally getting his big break with Friends.
Career
1987–1994: Early career
Le Blanc first appeared in a 1987 Heinz Tomato Ketchup commercial. In 1988, he starred in the television drama TV 101 for one season. In 1991, he had a recurring role on the hit Fox sitcom Married... with Children. He played Vinnie Verducci, a family friend of protagonist Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) who briefly dates his daughter, Kelly (Christina Applegate). He also guest starred in the 90's show the Red Shoe Diaries in the first season. Le Blanc went on to star in two short-lived spin-offs: Top of the Heap (1991) and Vinnie & Bobby (1992).
He appeared in two Bon Jovi music videos: "Miracle", from the Young Guns II soundtrack in 1990, and "Say It Isn't So" in 2000.[5] He also appeared in videos for Alanis Morissette's single "Walk Away", Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Into the Great Wide Open", and Bob Seger's "Night Moves".[6]
1994–2004: Friends
Le Blanc found success in the role of the dimwitted but lovable Joey Tribbiani on Friends, and went on to play this character for 12 years — 10 seasons of Friends and two seasons of Joey. Friends was wildly successful, and Le Blanc, along with his co-stars, gained wide recognition among viewers. This ensemble situation comedy became a major hit for NBC, airing on Thursday nights for ten years.[7]
For his performance, Le Blanc received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three Golden Globe award nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. During this time he also appeared in the films Lookin' Italian (1994), Ed (1996), Lost in Space (1998), Charlie's Angels (2000), and its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003).
2006–2011: Hiatus
Following the cancellation of Joey, Le Blanc announced that he would be taking a one-year hiatus from acting on television, which eventually turned into five years. His next role was a fictionalized version of himself on Episodes.[8]
2011–present: Career revival
From 2011, Le Blanc began appearing as a fictional version of himself in Episodes, a television series about a fictional American remake of an equally fictional British television series.[9][10] The series is written by Friends co-creator David Crane and his partner Jeffrey Klarik.[11] At the 69th Golden Globe Awards in 2012, Le Blanc won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a television series, musical, or comedy, and was nominated for an additional four Primetime Emmy Awards.[12]
In February 2012, Le Blanc appeared in the second episode of the eighteenth series of Top Gear, where he set the fastest lap time in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment in a Kia Cee'd. Lapping at 1:42.1, he beat the show's previous recordholder Rowan Atkinson by 0.1 seconds.[6] He also appeared in the fourth episode of the nineteenth season to race the New Kia Cee'd, and beat his previous time.
In February 2016, the BBC announced Le Blanc had signed on to become one of the new Top Gear hosts,[13] signing a new two-year deal later that year.[14] He announced his decision to retire from the series in May 2018, having co-hosted it for three years. Despite the show being "great fun", he stated the "time commitment and extensive travel takes me away from my family and friends more than I'm comfortable with."[15]
Le Blanc played the lead role in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan, which began airing in 2016 until it was cancelled in 2020.[16]
Personal life
Le Blanc married Melissa McKnight, a British-born American model and a divorced single mother of two children, in May 2003.[17] In 1997, they were introduced to each other by McKnight's friend, wife of actor Lou Diamond Phillips. Le Blanc proposed to her a year later.[17] Their daughter, Marina, born in 2004, began suffering seizures at eight months old. By the time she was two years old, the condition, thought to be a form of dysplasia, had mostly subsided.[17][18] Le Blanc and McKnight divorced in October 2006, citing irreconcilable differences.[19]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Doll Day Afternoon | GI Joe | Film debut, short film |
| 1990 | Jon Bon Jovi: Miracle | Friend | Music video, short video |
| 1991 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Into the Great Wide Open | Young man | |
| 1993 | Grey Knight | Terhue | |
| 1993 | Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick | Kyle | Segment: "Just Like That" |
| 1994 | Lookin' Italian | Anthony Manetti | |
| 1995 | Friends | Joey Tribbiani | Music video, video short |
| 1996 | Ed | Jack 'Deuce’ Cooper | |
| 1997 | Red Shoe Diaries 7: Burning Up | Jed | Segment: "Kidnap" |
| 1998 | Lost in Space | Major Don West | |
| 2000 | Bon Jovi: Say It Isn't So | Unknown | Music video, short video |
| 2000 | Charlie's Angels | Jason Gibbs | |
| 2001 | All the Queen's Men | O'Rourke | |
| 2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Jason Gibbs | |
| 2010 | Jonah Hex | N/A | Executive producer |
| 2014 | Lovesick | Charlie Darby |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1989 | TV 101 | Chuck Bender | Series regular (13 episodes) |
| 1989 | Just the Ten of Us | Todd Murphy | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Anything to Survive | Billy Burton | Television movie |
| 1990 | Monsters | Tommy | Episode: "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites" |
| 1991 | Top of the Heap | Vinnie Verducci | Recurring role (7 episodes) |
| 1991 | Married... with Children | 4 episodes | |
| 1992–1993 | Vinnie & Bobby | Series regular (7 episodes) | |
| 1992–1993 | Red Shoe Diaries | Tom's Brother, Jed Cody/Kyle | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Class of '96 | Frank Goodman | Episode: "Bright Smoke, Cold Fire" |
| 1994 | Reform School Girl | Vince | Television movie |
| 1994–2004 | Friends | Joey Tribbiani | Series regular (236 episodes) |
| 2004–2006 | Joey | Series regular (46 episodes) | |
| 2011–2017 | Episodes | Matt LeBlanc | Series regular (41 episodes) |
| 2012 | Top Gear | Himself (guest) | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Web Therapy | Nick Jericho | Web series; 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Web Therapy (TV series) | 2 episodes | |
| 2015 | The Prince | Television movie Producer | |
| 2016–2019 | Top Gear | Himself (host) | 24 episodes (series 23, 24, 25, 26) |
| 2016–2020 | Man with a Plan | Adam Burns | Series regular (69 episodes) Executive producer |
| 2021 | The One Where They Got Back Together | Himself | HBO Max special Executive producer[20] |
Awards
| Year | Association | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Friends | Won |
| 1999 | Nominated | |||
| 2000 | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | Nominated | |||
| 2002 | Nominated | |||
| 2003 | Nominated | |||
| 2004 | Nominated | |||
| 1997 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | |
| 1998 | Nominated | |||
| 1999 | Nominated | |||
| 2000 | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | Nominated | |||
| 2000 | TV Guide Awards | Editor's Choice Award | Won |
References
- Tauber, Michelle (May 19, 2003). "Way to Go, Joey!". People.
- "Matt LeBlanc takes his Italian origins to his heart". Italo-Americano. October 16, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Rafanelli, Stephanie (May 17, 2014). "Matt LeBlanc: 'I have an ego, but I try to leave it at the door'". The Daily Telegraph. London, England: Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2015/09/19/emmy-nominees-louis-and-matt-leblanc-knew-them-when/K8mD1IpH0Fr5HtyZZvGe6L/story.html
- "Bon Jovi – Say It Isn' So". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- "Top Gear; Series 18, Episode 2". BBC Two. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- "Matt LeBlanc Biography - life, family, children, parents, name, story, wife, school, mother - Newsmakers Cumulation". www.notablebiographies.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- "Matt LeBlanc on Life after 'Friends' and Taking a Six Year Hiatus". The Hollywood Reporter. June 27, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- Rampton, James (January 6, 2011). "Episodes: The one where Matt LeBlanc plays himself..." The Independent. London. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
- "Matt LeBlanc Spoofs Himself On Comedy 'Episodes'". Access Hollywood. January 4, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
- Parks, Tim (September 30, 2009). "LeBlanc to star as himself on 'Episodes'". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- "Nominations & Winners". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
- "Matt LeBlanc joins Top Gear!". Top Gear. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- "Top Gear: Matt LeBlanc signs two-series deal". BBC News. September 26, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- "Matt LeBlanc to leave Top Gear". BBC News. May 31, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie (June 21, 2016). "CBS Sets Fall 2016 Premiere Dates, Slates JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- Wulff, Jennifer (April 17, 2006). "Matt Leblanc's Surprise Split". People. Vol. 65 no. 15. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- Sawer, Patrick (February 6, 2016). "New Top Gear presenter Matt LeBlanc on his daughter, his marriage breakdown and his darkest years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- "Matt LeBlanc's Other Woman". People. April 6, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 21, 2020). "'Friends' Reunion Special Officially A Go At HBO Max With Cast Returning". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
External links
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